Welcome to SIR MCAULIFF HIGH SCHOOL MOHALI MOHALI
Max Arthur Macauliffe (10 September 1841 - 15 March 1913),
an English translator of the Sikh scriptures and historian of early Sikhism, was born on September 10, 1841, at Newcastle West,
Limerick County, Ireland.At the examination of 1862 he was chosen for the Indian Civil Service and was assigned to the Punjab where
he joined his appointment in February 1864. He reached the grade of a Deputy Commissioner in 1882 and became a divisional judge two years later.
His career in the Indian Civil Service has received no special historical note. Although his deep understanding and sympathy for
the people of Punjab and their religious traditions doubtless made him a popular civil servant with the people of Punjab, but it also brought
him into conflict with his fellow Englishmen in India.
The focus of Maculiffe's life was in his work as a translator and interpretor of Sikhism to the English-speaking world.
His interest in Sikhism was sparked by attending a Diwali celebration in Amritsar shortly after arriving in Punjab. In order to understand
ceremonies and the importance of the Golden Temple, he undertook a study of Sikhism and especially of the hymns of the Gurus.
He found himself deeply engaged by what he studied because of the "sublimity of their style and the high standard of ethics which they indicated."
Macauliffe resigned service in 1893. December 25, 1899 he had employed gianis and writers.Specifying the scope of the work,
he said that he would append to the translation a section on the lives of the Ten Gurus as well as the Bhagats whose compositions
were included in the Guru Granth Sahib. The lives of the Gurus, he elaborated, would be based on Sikh texts such as "Suraj Prakash"
and the "Gur Bilases" that he had studied during his stay in Amritsar.
Macauliffe went on to convert to Sikhism in the 1860s and was even derided by his British employers for having "turned a Sikh".
Macauliffe was reciting the Sikh prayer, Japji, 10 minutes before his death
Long before his retirement, Macauliffe had established deep and continuing contact with leading Sikh scholars and had mastered the necessary linguistic tools.
He studied a number of Indian and related languages in order to master the textual complexities of the Holy Book. Among these languages, he mentions, Sanskrit,
Prakrit, Arabic, Persian, Marathi, Gujrati and Punjabi, in its various dialects.His extensive works of translation and historical research were brought together
in his magnus opus, "The Sikh Religion, Its Gurus, Sacred Writings and Authors," published by Oxford in 1909.
Macauliffe resigned from his job and spent 20 years of his life on research on Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. He revised the translation 7 times.
He laboured continually for some years at making an accurate translation and made it as complete as can be done by human effort.
The hardwork and dedication of Sir Macauliffe is really appreciable. The translation done by them is the best one can do and is
unmatched.Died-15 March 1913
London, Sinclair Gardens, West Kensington, United Kingdom